Governor and First Lady Recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month

RALEIGH – Governor Pat McCrory and First Lady Ann McCrory are lighting the Executive Mansion in Raleigh, and the Governor’s Western Residence in Asheville purple Friday night to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The governor proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in North Carolina to recognize the significant impact domestic violence has on North Carolinians.

“The number of North Carolinians affected by domestic violence each year is staggering,” Governor McCrory said. “Ann and I believe that if all of us work together, we can end the cycle of domestic violence affecting North Carolina families and children.”

Domestic violence is a means of intimidation and violence to influence and control a partner involved in an intimate relationship, and is not always physical. Domestic violence can take the form of mental abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse and isolation.

As stated in the proclamation, local domestic violence programs in North Carolina responded to approximately 116,052 crisis line calls, served nearly 55,274 victims and provided shelter for about 12,601 victims in FY 2014, roughly 42 percent of whom were children, according to the North Carolina Council for Women.

“It is unacceptable that one in four women will experience physical violence from their partners in their lifetime,” said First Lady Ann McCrory. “We must commit to ending domestic violence in all of its forms and build safe communities for everyone.”

According to the North Carolina Department of Justice, 119 women, men and children lost their lives due to domestic violence-related homicides in 2014.